Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry Into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation

by James D.G. Dunn

Book Overview

The New Testament documents cover an intense period of innovation and development in what we now call "Christology." Before Jesus, "Christology" either did not exist, or existed, properly speaking, only in different forms of "messianic expectation." At the end of that period, however, an advanced and far-reaching Christology is already in place that does not hesitate to speak of Jesus as "God." This excellent study of the origins and early development...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802842577
• ISBN13: 9780802842572
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 489 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Foundational to modern Christological Discussion

This is an astoundingly well-researched book. Dunn's work on the titles ascribed to and/or accepted by Jesus started a fruitful debate on the subject -- a debate to which he continued to contribute. Since the discussion has progressed beyond this book, it is somewhat dated; but it is foundational and still of primary value. To understand recent scholarship in Christology, one needs to be familiar with this book. For the novice, I might recommend beginning with Part Four of Dunn's "Jesus Remembered" and, if your appetite is stimulated, following with this more in-depth (although earlier) treatment.

Dunn's Christology in the making.

This is a "must read" book. I have read about six first rate books written by James D.G.Dunn long after the one I am reviewing, but it is fascinating to see how his learning has expanded and to be able to trace its development. Frankly, I think this book must be read to fully understand what he has accomplished in the years since this book was published. Readers will get an honest appraisal of the status of Jesus Christ in the unfolding of God's plans for the cosmos. Gary Charles Leedes

A Valuable Contribution to the Study of Christology

"Christology" is the attempt to describe the nature and mission of Jesus by studying the documents of the New Testament and their relationship to the Hebrew Bible as well as the apocryphal and non-canonical literature of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity. Dunn examines in detail the various titles of Jesus - Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, the Logos, God incarnate, etc. - and shows how these concepts were most likely understood at the time they were first used. He describes the history of these terms in Jewish thought, and traces how these terms evolved during the formative years of Christianity. Dunn generally leans towards the idea that the earliest Christian tradition viewed Jesus as a human being specially chosen by God for a unique role in the salvation of the Jewish people and - secondarily - of all people. Yet, somewhat inconsistently, at the end he claims that the late development of "high Christology" - of Jesus viewed as the divine second person of the Holy Trinity - is an acceptable and logical development of the earlier view of Jesus as a divinely chosen human being. That is my only quibble with a book that otherwise exhibits sound scholarship and reasoned argument. Perhaps most of us moderns - Dunn included - are infected with the Hegelian idea that whatever happens in the world - if it involves major historical trends and Ideas - somehow enjoys Divine blessing, even if it seemingly contradicts our understandings of the Divine Will. But I digress . . . as a thorough exploration of the progression and development of the Christian understanding of the nature and role of Jesus, this book is a "must have."

What Think Ye of Christ?

"Christology" is not just the study of Christ, but typically refers to beliefs of Jesus and to what extent he was divine. 'High Christology' being mostly divine and a 'low Christology' being mostly man. Despite what you have been taught in Sunday School the debate over who Jesus was and to what extent is he divine has gone on since the first century. Here Dunn compiles all the arguments for a variety of 'titles' attributed to Jesus and examines each one in detail. Rather than giving one particular theological point, he discusses the issues debated by the different scholars giving the reader a clear understanding on each of the titles. If you enjoy studying religion and christianity, this book is a must.